30 May 2023

• Climate: A Nature study found Antarctic overturning circulation has slowed by 30 per cent since the 1990s, threatening global ocean heat distribution.
• Hunger: WFP's Hunger Hotspots report identified Pakistan, Afghanistan and Myanmar as emergency-level food security cases.
• Geopolitics: The United States proposed including India in NATO Plus as part of a counter-China framework.
• Tech governance: Twitter withdrew from the EU's voluntary Disinformation Code of Practice.
• Multilateralism: The UN observed the 75th anniversary of its peacekeeping operations.

GS area: Environment (Oceanography, Climate change)

A study published in Nature (Bowen et al., 2023) found that the Antarctic overturning circulation has slowed by about 30 per cent since the 1990s and could slow by 40 per cent more by 2050 if emissions continue.

• What is overturning circulation?
  • Ocean water sinks near Antarctica because it is cold and salty. This dense water flows along the ocean floor toward the equator. Warmer, lighter water moves toward Antarctica at the surface to replace it. This is the "overturning circulation" or the thermohaline circulation at the Antarctic end.
  • It is distinct from the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), which operates in the North Atlantic.
• Why it matters:
  • The circulation transports oxygen to the deep ocean, sustaining marine life in abyssal regions.
  • It controls how much carbon dioxide the deep ocean absorbs.
  • It distributes heat from the tropics toward the poles.
  • Slowdown means less oxygen in deep water, acidification and disruption to fisheries.
• Driver: Melting Antarctic ice shelves and glaciers are adding fresh water to the ocean. Fresh water is less dense than salt water. The reduced density of near-shore Antarctic water weakens the sinking mechanism.
• Tipping point concern: Once overturning weakens significantly, the ecosystem effects are potentially irreversible.

Static linkage: Ocean circulation, thermohaline circulation, AMOC, climate tipping points (Environment).

GS area: International Relations (Food security, Humanitarian)

The WFP-FAO Joint Hunger Hotspots report for June-September 2023 flagged Pakistan, Afghanistan, Myanmar and others at emergency-level food insecurity.

• Pakistan:
  • Floods in 2022 displaced 33 million people and destroyed crops across Sindh and Balochistan.
  • Economic crisis, IMF bailout negotiations and currency collapse compounded food access problems.
  • Approximately 10 million people at emergency or crisis level (IPC Phase 3-4).
• Afghanistan:
  • Afghanistan remains the world's largest acute food insecurity crisis.
  • 28 million of 38 million people face food insecurity. The collapse of the formal economy since August 2021 is the primary driver.
  • Women are doubly affected: excluded from employment, banned from NGO work, unable to access assistance directly.
• Myanmar:
  • Post-coup economic collapse since February 2021.
  • Continued conflict and displacement. Food insecurity has doubled in two years.
• Hotspots framework: IPC (Integrated Food Security Phase Classification) phases: Phase 1 (minimal) to Phase 5 (famine). Hotspots reports focus on IPC 3-5 country situations.

Static linkage: WFP, FAO, food security, IPC phases (International Relations/Geography).

GS area: International Relations (Security architecture)

The United States proposed that India be included in the NATO Plus grouping as part of a security framework to counter China.

• What NATO Plus is: An informal term for NATO combined with a small group of partner states with high intelligence and defence cooperation: Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and Israel. These five are also called the "Plus Five."
• US congressional context: A bipartisan bill in the US Congress proposed adding India to this grouping.
• India's non-alignment tradition: India has historically avoided formal alliance structures. This is rooted in the Nehruvian non-alignment tradition and reinforced by India's practical interests in maintaining ties with Russia (for defence supplies), West Asia and Iran.
• India's response: The Government of India did not indicate interest. India's Defence Minister and Foreign Minister affirmed India's strategic autonomy.
• Existing India-US ties: US-India security cooperation already includes the four BECA/LEMOA/COMCASA/ISA foundational agreements, Quad membership and significant arms sales. NATO Plus is seen as a formal tier India has little incentive to join.

Static linkage: NATO, Quad, strategic autonomy, India-US relations (International Relations).

GS area: Governance (Tech regulation, Digital rights)

Twitter (now X) became the first major platform to withdraw from the EU's voluntary Code of Practice on Disinformation.

• EU Code of Practice on Disinformation: A voluntary, self-regulatory framework launched in 2018 and updated in 2022. Signatories committed to transparency in political advertising, removal of fake accounts and reporting of anti-disinformation actions.
• Signatories included: Google, Meta, TikTok, Microsoft, Twitter and others (32 companies).
• Twitter's withdrawal: Twitter notified the EU it would no longer comply. Elon Musk had already cut trust and safety teams, restored banned accounts and ended some fact-checking partnerships.
• DSA implications: The EU Digital Services Act (DSA), in force from February 2024 for very large platforms, requires compliance with anti-disinformation obligations. DSA is mandatory unlike the Code. Twitter's withdrawal does not exempt it from the DSA.
• UPSC relevance: Digital regulation, EU's DSA framework, fake news governance.

Static linkage: Digital Services Act, EU regulation, freedom of speech vs platform accountability (Governance/International Relations).

GS area: International Relations (United Nations)

The United Nations observed the 75th anniversary of its peacekeeping operations.

• First peacekeeping operation: UNTSO (United Nations Truce Supervision Organization), established in 1948 to monitor the Arab-Israeli ceasefire.
• Scale today: Over 12 active missions, approximately 87,000 troops from 120+ countries.
• India's contribution: India is one of the largest troop-contributing countries historically. Indian peacekeepers have served in Lebanon, DRC, South Sudan and Somalia among others.
• Challenges: Peacekeeping forces have been criticised for sexual abuse cases, lack of protection mandates, and difficulty exiting post-conflict situations.
• Chapter VI vs Chapter VII: Most peacekeeping mandates are Chapter VI (pacific settlement) operations. Enforcement missions under Chapter VII (e.g., UNITAF in Somalia) are rarer.

Static linkage: UN Charter, Chapter VI, Chapter VII, peacekeeping, India's UN role (International Relations).

• IPEF ministerial: The India-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) ministerial meeting discussed supply chain resilience, clean economy and fair economy pillars. India did not join the trade pillar of IPEF when it was announced in May 2022.
• National Film Development Corporation 50 years: NFDC was established in 1975 to support Indian parallel and art cinema. It produces and co-produces films, runs Indian Panorama at IFFI, and manages NFDC Media Library.
• Neeraj Chopra World No. 1: Neeraj Chopra became the top-ranked javelin thrower globally after his performance at the Doha Diamond League. He was the first Indian Olympic gold medallist in athletics (Tokyo 2020). The javelin throw is a Field event under World Athletics.